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“Blue Hill Stone Barns”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Upper West Side	Break the Bank	Good

hot and sunny day, he was in what I would say are more accurately called culottes or gauchos, not shorts. I believe the Queer Eye’s Fab Five, who should have been the ultimate arbiters of this quarrel, would have agreed with me. They were below the knee, they were this great linen cotton blend, and they were Donna Karan, a designer who does not make sloppy shorts. Anyway, the hostess did not seem to agree that they were culottes. She insisted they were shorts and suggested (ordered) that he change into a pair of pants that they keep on hand for “this sort of thing.” Steven was fine with it, but I was a bit taken a back. There were guys in ugly t-shirts inside and people that didn’t have an eighth of his fashion sense (he paired the culottes with a crisp white button-down shirt and cool Addidas kicks), and he had to change. But it was either change, or take the train back to Manhattan. Off she went to fetch the pants and we were left, seated out on the patio, while we waited for his wardrobe change.

Moments later, a tall French man with piercing cold eyes came out and told me the chef wanted to speak with me in a tone that was not unlike a school teacher to a seven year old who is wanted in the principal’s office. I know Dan from the business, and I was hoping he was going to tell me it was all a mistake. I left Steven out on the patio (we did ask if we could eat out there in shorts but we were informed quite succinctly that the answer was “No”), and I was whisked back to see Dan, who cooks in a wide brimmed straw farmers hat, I suppose to keep the organic earth theme going (the man looks good in straw, indeed, but is that a fire hazard?). Dan apologized about the dress code, and told me that he had some pants Steven could wear. We went to his office, where he pulled out some pin-stripped Banana Republic trousers from a bottom desk drawer. (I guess the hostess couldn’t find any pants so this was our only option.) They were sort of dirty, with mud on the cuffs and stains on the legs. “You want him to wear these?” I asked. “Yes, or he can wear my jeans,” he said as he pulled them out from the same drawer. Ah the life of a chef, pants stuffed in desk drawers, “I have had these since 9th grade,” he said, and seemed to get misty eyed. I decided on the dirty pinstriped pants and brought them out to Steven who was working his was through his second Martini on the patio. < ... [more, click below]

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Posted: May 16, 2004

Other restaurants in Upper West Side :
+ 'Cesca   + Asiate   + Blue Hill Stone Barns   + Per Se   + The Neptune Room   + Spigolo   + Telepan   + Aix Brasserie   + 'Cesca   + Bar Boulud   + Dovetail   + BarBao   + Dinosaur Bar-be-Que   + Kefi   + Bar Luna   + Ed's Chowder House   + Red Rooster, by Rachel Barbarotta   + Loi by Dara Pollak   

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